No Longer Alone
by Rinsa
Summary: Johnny finally meets a girl who could take him on, blade for blade- Devi’s younger sister. Rated PG-13 for language, content, etc... For now!!!! MWAH-HA-HA-herk!! *kaff kaff* Mebbe R-rated later... WHEE!! CHAPPIE 3 IS UP!!
1. :insert plausible first chapter name her...

Umm...... Oh, yeah! Disclaimer: Absolutely nothing in this story or any other stories I will write belongs to me except my fan character (at the moment, it's Rinsa) and the plot. The rest belongs to the delicious Jhonen Vasquez and Slave Labor Graphics. The first paragraph or so happens in JtHM #7, when Johnny calls Devi and plays a recording of his voice saying he's sorry.  
  
Chapter One: (insert interesting title here)  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -  
  
"BRING BRING!! BRING BRING!!"  
  
"Deviiiiiiii!! Get the phone!! I'm busy!!"  
  
Rinsa let her gaze drift back to the lump of clay in her hands as she heard her sister pick up the phone. Switching her CD player back on, she let the music blasting from the headphones engulf her. Singing along softly, she set to work on the clay. "Motivation; such an aggravation, accusations; don't know how to take them," she murmured along with Sum41. A shape had begun to appear in the clay. Frowning slightly, Rinsa hunched over and began to work on the facial features of the figure, giving the small boy a defiant, yet terrified, look. A teddy bear was shaped into his arms. Half squinting, she formed the outlines of his too-large eyes, giving him a rather innocent look. Shouting drifted from the other room as Devi began yelling at whoever had phoned. Mentally reminding herself to ask her sister about it later, she turned the volume up on her CD player, leaving a smudge of clay on the navy blue surface, and bent over to finish the figure.  
  
Upon finishing, Rinsa stood up, dusted off her ratty, clay-stained jeans, and stood back, admiring her work. A striking rendition of a small boy in striped pajamas clutching a freakish teddy bear cowered on her workbench as she scratched her cheek, leaving small streaks of clay on her face. Satisfied with her art, she picked up the little figure and carried it over to the little kiln in the corner of her bedroom.  
  
Stepping over the black trench coat she had tossed to the floor before starting on the clay, she carefully set the boy inside the small chamber of the kiln. She turned the flame on and retreated to her bed, flopping down.  
  
Staring up at the black ceiling, she picked out constellations in the stars painted in fluorescent yellow paint. Her eyes began to drift shut, when they suddenly snapped open.  
  
*No!* she thought. *I will not fall asleep!* Muttering to herself, she stood up, rubbing her eyes. Shoulders drooped with lack of sleep, she trudged over to the door, reading the old-fashioned alarm clock on the way. Only 7:58 P.M. Grabbing a random smattering of clean clothing from her closet, she headed for the bathroom.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------  
  
Steam filled the small room as the hot water pounded down on her. Eyes closed, she turned off the hot water, letting the now-cold liquid run down her skin, washing away the rest of the soap and shampoo. Turning the nozzle, the spray of water dwindled to a trickle as Rinsa groped around blindly for a towel, rubbing water from her eyes. Her fingers met cloth and she pulled the towel to her, drying herself off. Shaking her head, water spattered the walls as her hair ceased dripping. She pulled on the clean clothes: black jeans ripped off right below the knee; black and white striped socks that went up to her knees; a light blue, almost white T-shirt with a comic book figure called Happy Noodle Boy on it; and, of course, her trusty, long, black, many-pocketed trench coat. Slipping her arms in the sleeves, she patted her pockets.  
  
*Damn. Nothing. Wonder where I put them...* she thought to herself as she meandered back into her room, forking gel into her hair. She scooped up her earrings from her black desk and fastened them onto her ears. Wandering around various art supplies and a few scattered articles of clothing, Rinsa scratched her chin thoughtfully as she tried to recall where she had last seen the items missing from her pockets.  
  
*Hmmmmmmm... I wonder...* She dug a hand into the pocket of another trench coat on the floor. *Yep* she thought, transferring several blades of various lengths from the many hidden pockets of the two coats. As calm and non-violent as she be, her many walks through the vermin-infested city at night had taught her to keep a weapon (or two, or three, or eleven) on hand at all times, the hard way. Absentmindedly rubbing the long scar on her inner left forearm, hidden by black cloth, she went through a mental checklist of all her blades.  
  
*Stiletto in inner pocket by right thigh- check! Dagger in spring-loaded inner pocket by left wrist- check! Twin mini-scimitars in inner pockets by hips- check!* she started, continuing to recite and check for all the blades on her person. She smiled, fingering her favourite, a six-inch, carbon steel blade that had gotten her out of many a tight spot. Rubbing the dragon-shaped handle, she placed it in its proper pocket, a spring- loaded one by her right wrist, switched off the kiln, and headed out the door.  
  
As she passed by a rather disheveled-looking Devi, she remembered the earlier shouting.  
  
"Hey, Dev? What was all that yelling about?" she asked, crouching down in front of her older sister by five years.  
  
Devi turned to Rinsa, her eyes twitching, her hands wringing the rubber bands removed from her hair.  
  
"That fucking bastard called me- and not only that, but he was apologizing! Or should I say, a recording of his voice was apologizing! As if saying he's sorry is enough for what he did! My god, that bastard! I didn't leave the house for months because of him!!" Devi shouted, one eye still twitching.  
  
"'Bast'- wait, you mean that guy Johnny?" Rinsa asked, sighing. "That guy needs a thorough thrashing. Thinks he can kill whoever the hell he wants. Well, let me tell you something, Devi- if I ever lay eyes on him, he'll think twice about trying to kill my sister again!! I may only be 17, Devi, but that asshole's got a lot to learn, and I'm just the one to teach it to him!!"  
  
Devi smiled weakly. "Thanks, Rain (no, NOT a typo, just a nickname). Now, you go have fun doing whatever you were going to do."  
  
Rinsa stood up, patted her sister on the shoulder, and left, thinking of ways to make this Johnny guy sorry he had ever tried to kill Devi. She was so deep in thought, she didn't even notice Tenna right in front of her.  
  
SMACK!!  
  
"Ow..." Rinsa said, rubbing the area between her eyes.  
  
"Aggg... By dose..." Tenna agreed, rubbing the injured joint. Suddenly, she began whipping around. "...No...Where?...Uh-uh..." she muttered, starting to sound frantic.  
  
SQUEAK!  
  
Tenna's eyes widened as she noticed Spooky in Rinsa's hands.  
  
"Looking for this?" Rinsa taunted jokingly, waving it back and forth.  
  
Tenna's ands darted forward, snatching Spooky, then bringing him close to rub against her cheek.  
  
"My Spooky..." she was murmuring as Rinsa stepped around her and opened the door to the stairs.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------  
  
Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Rinsa did a second mental run over all her blades. Making sure the spring-loads were set, she started walking, humming to herself. Merely looking up at the night sky and barely sparing a glance at where she was going, she started walking in no particular direction.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------  
  
A long time later, Rinsa stopped across from a 24/7 to glance at her watch. 10:49. Wondering if she had enough change for a Cherry Doom Brain Freezey, a muffled gasp escaped her as someone clamped a hand over her mouth, pulling her into an alley. Thinking fast, she triggered her spring loads and the two blades popped into her hands. stabbing the hand over her mouth, she sprung away and turned to face her attacker. she was facing a man of about thirty, give or take a year. Clutching his wound to his mouth, he looked at her with angry eyes.  
  
"Little bitch," he muttered. "That hurt."  
  
Grimacing at the malodorous breeze drifting from the man, Rinsa replaced her blades and took out the twin foot-long scimitars, slyly grinning as the man's eyes bulged slightly.  
  
"In case you're wondering, yes, I do know how to use these," she said, readying herself for an attack. She didn't have to wait long. The man rushed at her with an open pocket knife. Scoffing, she stepped aside, letting him barrel past. She let one scimitar trail along his arm as he barged by, leaving a large gash. He bellowed in pain and anger, then made after her again. She nimbly leaped onto a garbage can, then over him, slicing his back with both scimitars as she did. Blood pooled on the dank alley floor, glistening in the dim light from the street lamps.  
  
Rinsa glanced down at it, clucking her tongue. "Tsk, tsk. You really shouldn't charge at me like that. Not only is it rude, but incredibly unintelligent, too." And with that, she rammed the hilt of one scimitar into the man's head. He dropped like a sack of potatoes.  
  
Rinsa was stooping to wipe the blood off her blades on the man's clothes when she heard a sound. She whipped around, scimitars at the ready. Leaning against the alley wall was a blue-haired young man of about Devi's age, maybe a year younger. He was clapping softly, a red Brain Freezey at his feet.  
  
"Well done," he said, gesturing towards the unconscious man. "I've never seen a girl handle blades like those so well."  
  
Rinsa stood up straight, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Thank you," she replied slowly, ever cautious.  
  
"What is your name, if I may?" the almost-emaciated young man asked.  
  
"I'm Rinsa," she replied, putting away her blood-free scimitars, but ready to trigger the spring-loads at any second. "And you?"  
  
He smiled, then bowed. As he righted himself, he uttered a single word.  
  
"Johnny."  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------  
  
Yeah, I know. Not much of an ending. Obviously, there's gonna be more to this eventually. But, in order for that you must review!! Yes, I'm an unoriginal moron who needs the help of others to make her own story. Yes, without your reviews-to-be, you will most likely never see me or my lovely work again. Now, review!!!!!!! Or you shall be doomed to a moosey fate!!!! A TERRIBLE MOOSEY FATE!!!!! I think I read that whole "moosey fate" thing in some other author's note at the end. Person who wrote that- if you're reading this, thanks!! Toodles!! Review!! *skips off, singing* La la la la la la...... 


	2. The First Kiss :kinda ruins the suspense...

I forgot to mention some stuff in my first lil' AN thingie. Numero Uno: I have officially slashed Tenna as the same height as Devi, and although I myself have never read IFS, I have been led to believe that Tenna is actually shorter. Well in this, she isn't. Pbbbt!! *blows raspberry* Anyway, onto Numer Deux: I'm not sure of Devi's and Nny's /exact/ ages, but in this fic, Devi's 22 and Nny's 21. Why? Because I said so. Tenna's also 22, Rinsa is 17 (duh, that should be obvious by now) and if Squee appears, which he /might/ (hint hint...), he'll be six. Yeah, that sounds about right... If any other significant characters come in in later chapters, I'll list their ages then. Number-three-in-Afrikaans: I am very well aware that Johnny's "blue" hair on the front cover of JtHM issue one is merely the illustrator showing the light reflecting off his hair, which is normal with black hair in rather dim light. However, I am going to say his hair is blue (at least in this fic), simply because blue is my favourite colour, I have always wanted blue hair, myself, and this is /my/ goddamn story, and there's nothing you can do about it!! MWAH-HA-HA-HA-herk!! *hack hack* Number Four: this AN is for this chapter. As you'll find out from the first sentence, Rinsa obviously doesn't realize that Johnny is /the/ Johnny, from Devi's near-death experience. Yes, she was thinking about pounding him a mere few hours earlier, but may I remind you she was distracted by a would- be raper, plus, her mind tends to wander when she takes her walks... Umm.... however-you-say-number-five-in-German: As of this chapter, I will be outlining words with slashes when I mean for them to be /italicized/, because I am writing this on the old-ass computer in my room which only has Microsoft Works, and when I convert it to our internet-accessible computer's Works, which is newer, it pretty much does away with italicizing, and I'd rather not go through the entire story and re- italicize every word /again/. Live long and prosper, and have a nice time reading!!  
  
  
  
"Nice to meet you, Johnny," Rinsa replied nonchalantly. She scratched her cheek, discreetly looking him up and down. He had dark blue hair and a gaunt figure, almost as thin as Rinsa herself, who never ate more than a light meal or a snack once every other day, not because of self-loathing or some such thing, but merely because she was never hungry. Intriguing eyes, like pools of amber, mesmerized her, secrets wallowing in their depths. He was about the same height as Devi, only an inch or so taller than Rinsa herself. He wore a shirt reading "Gone the way of my sanity" and black pants down to his shoes, his trench coat and strange-toed boots almost mirroring Rinsa's own. His hair was different. He didn't have the full head of spikes expected of one who dressed like him, but rather two single spikes on an otherwise bald head, hanging down almost to his eyes. They rather resembled antennae, and Rinsa was sure if he had been standing between her and a bright light, his silhouette would have looked exactly like that of a humanoid mosquito. *Still,* she thought to herself. *a rather /cute/ mosquito.* Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, she blinked, thinking. *He is /damn/ fine. I wonder what he's doing out here and why the hell he's applauding me knocking some asshole unconscious...* She let her hand drop to her side, the other hand straddling her waist.  
  
"Why didn't you kill him?"  
  
Rinsa took a step back, startled back into reality. "What? Why would I kill him? I mean, he may have been a perverted asshole, but that gives me no right to take his life." She blinked, looking strangely at Johnny. "Besides, why the hell would I be willing to give up the hopefully-long life I have ahead of me just for one moron? I may be a minor, but the police will still stick me in prison- either for life, or until I'm old enough for the death sentence, most likely." One eye squinted, the other wide open, she looked expectantly at Johnny, waiting for a reply.  
  
"A minor?" He sounded surprised. "Just how old are you?"  
  
She narrowed her eyes, brow furrowed. "Seventeen. Which, may I add, is none of your business." She was starting to get rather suspicious. Why did he seem so startled? And, more importantly, why was he asking her these questions?  
  
Ignoring her distrust, he changed the subject. "May I see your scimitars?"  
  
She blinked. *Ooooo/kay/...* she thought, visibly confused. Pulling out her scimitars, she handed them handle first to Johnny, ready to slice his hands with the short sword at her waist should he try anything.  
  
He squatted, examining them with great interest. Then, he pulled a similar scimitar out of a pocket on the inside of his trench coat. Comparing his blade with one of hers, he smiled. He replaced his scimitar, handing Rinsa back hers. "Mm... peculiar Egyptian design... You use them often?"  
  
Startled at the strange question yet respectful of his obvious expertise in blades, she merely nodded.  
  
He stood up, stretching with the languorous ease of a cat. "Well, I really must be going. Until later, then, Rinsa." And with that, he picked up his Brain Freezey and vanished, melting into the shadows.  
  
Shuddering at his sudden disappearance, Rinsa tucked her scimitars safely into their proper pockets and dug out a handful of change. Counting a little more than three dollars, she decided she would get a Brain Freezey, after all.  
  
  
  
A little while later, Rinsa leaned against the wall of the 24/7, happily slurping her Cherry Doom Brain Freezey. Looking at her watch, which read 11:24, she decided she wanted to do something. For some reason, she was in a mood to go to a club. Tossing her now-empty cup in the waste bin, she headed for the nearest source of pounding "music" she could hear.  
  
  
  
Thrashing shapes and blaring music flooded her senses as Rinsa stepped onto the dance floor. Wriggling bodies pressed in on her from all sides. She worked her way through, pushing and shoving, to take a seat by the bar while she looked for a less-crowded spot to dance in later. A rather dejected-looking smiley face stamp declared her as under legal drinking age, 18, so the bartender asked would she prefer soda or water? A glass was filled with mineral water at her request and she sat, sipping slowly, her eyes scanning the heavily-crowded room. A tap on her arm made her whip to one side.  
  
"Fancy seeing you here," Johnny said quietly, and yet somehow, his voice reached her ears over the throbbing euphony.  
  
Nearly choking on her water, Rinsa coughed. "Damn, Johnny, don't sneak up on me when I'm drinking something! Just about choked, I did!" she said, only half-serious. "God! I know you for less than an hour and you're already scaring the shit out of me?"  
  
He looked genuinely sorry as he apologized for startling her, but she stopped him in mid-sentence.  
  
"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal," she said, setting down the remains of her water. Johnny looked relieved. He seemed to be about to ask her something, but hesitated. Trying again, he almost got something out- but not quite. Rinsa asked the bartender for a refill, letting Johnny work up his nerve. Finally, he turned to her, asking "Would you like to dance?"  
  
Rinsa nodded, concealing her surprise with a smile. "Sure."  
  
They walked onto the dance floor, and, just as they started thrashing in time with the beat, the song ended, giving way to a slow melody.  
  
As Johnny tried to dart away upon hearing the unhurried tune, Rinsa grabbed his arm. "Oh, no. You're not going anywhere. You asked me to dance, and dance we will," she told him firmly, placing his hands around her waist and resting her own hands on his shoulders. Obviously not a shy one, Rinsa took no heed at Johnny's tension.  
  
They had just met, and were already slow dancing. What would Devi think? *Ah, I don't give a shit what Devi thinks.* Rinsa thought to herself decidedly. *He asked for a dance, and that's what he's getting, whether it be slow or fast.*  
  
After a while Johnny relaxed, letting his strained, almost unwilling grip on her ease to a comfortable hold. His eyes softened, the nervous look in them melting. Rinsa let herself go in their unfathomable amber depths, not even attempting to guess what secret they held. She found herself trusting him, for whatever reason, as he eased her closer, gently, slowly. Soon they were pressed against each other, and could have easily been mistaken for one of the many long-time couples swaying on the much-less-crowded dance floor.  
  
The song came to a gradual end, and Johnny leaned forward to kiss her tenderly on the lips. She met him in the middle (AN: and for those of you who are either shuddering or reading eagerly because of those last few words, by "middle" I mean the middle of the space between their faces, NOT /their/ middles. Good lord, people. Get a prescription or something. Anything to cure that dirty mind or yours!), pressing her lips against his as lightly as she could bear, and then pulled back a bit, allowing herself no more. She could see that he struggled to do the same. Blinking once, she stepped away, hesitant to release herself from his grasp, saying "I'd better go now, Johnny. My sister's probably wondering where I am. It is 12:36, after all."  
  
He nodded, still looking into her eyes.  
  
"Here," she said, pulling a pen and small pad of paper from one of the numerous pockets of her coat. "What's your phone number?"  
  
He blinked, then told her the number.  
  
"Mm-hmm... mm-hmm... okay. I'll call you sometime tomorrow, I guess. I'd give you my phone number, too, but my sister's a little paranoid." Smiling, she took a few steps back, gave him a little wave, then turned around, walking off of the dance floor, which was steadily being filled to the maximum occupancy as another fast song started, and leaving the club.  
  
  
  
Once she was out of sight, Johnny allowed himself a rather silly-looking smile. Then, noticing the people around him, he snapped back into reality and replaced his smile with a blank expression, although this was rather hard to do. He made his way to the back door, shoving people out of his way, and slipped out into the alley. Leaning against a wall, he sighed. He had thought he would never find someone right for him again, but he had! Rinsa was by far a superior being compared to the masses of other girls out there, whether they be preppy or gothic. *She reminds me of De- NO!!* he shouted at himself, forbidding the mere thought of the name. *I'm with /Rinsa/ now, and that /name/* he spat mentally, *will never cross my mind again!!* Shuddering, he sank to the ground, clutching his legs, willing his thoughts to return to his and Rinsa's kiss. A smile lit up his face as he became happy once more, sinking blissfully into thoughts of earlier that evening.  
  
  
  
You like? Good. Then review. You don't like? Goo-well, not really, but still- review. I hunger for reviews- and suggestions are always welcome, too! Reviews... reviews... *stalks off zombie-style, looking for reviews to munch on* 


	3. Strange Dreams

AN: there is no AN. Nyah.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
As Rinsa walked in, humming happily, Devi cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, aren't /you/ the poster child for antidepressant drugs. What, pray tell, are you so happy about?"  
  
Rinsa grinned, eyes twinkling mischievously. "Not telling. You have to guess."  
  
Devi sighed, then set down her book. "Okay. Ummm... You sprouted wings. You won the lottery. No? Am I getting close?"  
  
Rinsa only shook her head, still grinning.  
  
Devi sighed again, then tried once more. "You met a guy." She looked surprised as Rinsa nodded. "Really?"  
  
Rinsa looked hurt. "What, you don't think I'm capable of meeting someone nice?" She stuck out her lower lip, pretending to pout.  
  
Devi rolled her eyes. "Go on, get out of here," she said, shooing her sister away.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
Rinsa pulled off her boots, tossing them next to her bed. Sitting down at her computer, she cracked her knuckles once, closed her eyes, and started typing.  
  
A minute later, Rinsa stopped to read what she'd written.  
  
Endless depths entrance you,  
  
Amber doors to countless secrets.  
  
One eyebrow twitched. She had written this? *Wow. I never thought the whole "Clear your mind and let your fingers type" thing would work. Although, it is rather short...*  
  
Rinsa yawned, then glanced at her clock. 1:42 A.M. *Damn.* Her persistent human body was reminding her in various ways that it needed sleep. *Aw, hell. I've missed enough sleep. I can deal with a few nightmares,* she decided, banishing her fear of sleep to the dark recesses of her mind. She shrugged off her clothes, tossing them carelessly over her chair, and pulled on her loose t-shirt and boxers. Slipping under the black quilt, she let her mind drift into a light slumber.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
A snake slid in through the window, weaving through the various objects on the floor, its tongue quietly rasping against the scales on its mouth. The serpent, a good twelve feet long, made its way to Rinsa's bed, tongue flickering in and out. It slid over the abandoned quilt, kicked to the foot of the bed, and, winding itself around her bedpost, lowered its upper body until its eyes, a dazzling jade to match its gleaming scales, were even with Rinsa's, which were closed. Her lids snapped open, revealing two very strange eyes. One was a brilliant sapphire flecked with emerald, and the other was a brilliant emerald, flecked with sapphire. Both were fringed with an icy turquoise. They stared evenly into the snake's.  
  
"So," she said aloud. "I'm dreaming again. Damn."  
  
The snake opened its mouth a crack and let out a faltering hiss that could only be the serpent's laugh.  
  
Rinsa sighed, then reached to stroke the snake's soft scales. She yelped as it spontaneously combusted, writhing like a whip of flame. She leaped out of bed, watching the contorting serpent set her entire room ablaze. Gasping from lack of oxygen, she made her way to the window as the flames mounted higher and higher, leaving her more and more breathless.  
  
Unable to undo the catch, Rinsa took a few steps back and hurled herself out the window, hoping she landed on the fire escape. One hand shot out to catch the rail as she went flying past, just about missing the fire escape completely. She hauled herself up then began the long descent to the ground, already breathless.  
  
By the time her feet touched the pavement, Rinsa was doubled over. She hobbled away from the building, trying in vain to catch her breath. She stopped, panting, leaning against a sign post. Tears escaped her as she slid down to sit on the pavement, knowing very well what would happen next, and yet still scared shitless of it.  
  
And then, it began.  
  
The ground beneath her legs no longer existed. She was floating, and everyone precious to her, although few and far between, was floating in front of her. Devi; Aunt Tillie; her snake, Michael; and a few others. This time there was a new face among them. Johnny.  
  
Rinsa watched, paralyzed, as a figure walked up to her loved ones, who were running around in circles, screaming like lambs about to be slaughtered. The figure took from its cloak a long scythe and proceeded to brutally maim each and every person in front of her.  
  
Rinsa screamed, shouted, begged, pleaded the figure to stop. It didn't. It went through the lot of them, the blood of each victim splattering all over Rinsa. Soon she was drowning in a sea of blood. As she called out one last time, a wave of blood silenced her. She drifted, motionless, to the bottom of the vast amount of blood, her lungs burning-  
  
Rinsa sat up in bed, heart pounding, chest heaving. "FUCK!!" she shouted at no one in particular. Then, realizing Devi was probably asleep at 1:58, as her clock displayed, she silenced herself, still breathing hard.  
  
*/This/ is why I don't like to sleep,* she grumbled mentally. She sighed and went over to her computer.  
  
After ten minutes of surfing through mindless drivel, Rinsa had had enough. She was going to phone Johnny and she didn't give a shit whether he was asleep or not. Well, she did, but oh, well. She needed someone to talk to. She just hoped he was awake.  
  
Dialing the number on the pad she had set by her phone, she listened to it ring and was about to hang up when something clicked at the other end. She heard a hesitant "Hello?"  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief, Rinsa said, "Hey, Johnny, it's me. I hope you weren't asleep."  
  
She heard laughing at the other end, then a "Wait- were you serious?"  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
A few hours later, Rinsa noticed the time. "Damn. We've been on for hours. My sister's gonna kill me when she sees the phone bill. Well, later, Johnny."  
  
A faint "Yeah, later." She was just about to hang up when she heard him say "Rinsa?"  
  
Putting the phone back up to her ear, she replied. "Yeah?"  
  
After a moment's hesitation, he responded.  
  
"You can call me Nny."  
  
"Awwww, how sweet! Nicknames!" Rinsa said jokingly. "Alright then, Nee. You can call me Rinsa, Rin, Rink, Rinsie, or anything that sounds remotely like any of the above choices. Now, tell me, how do you spell your name?"  
  
He spelled it out for her, then ended with a "Goodbye, Rain."  
  
She returned the goodbye and hung up before realizing that he had called her the only nickname she had not mentioned; the one only Devi called her. Rain.  
  
Idly wondering if she was, perhaps, still dreaming, she meandered over to Michael's branch. Upon hearing her, the boa constrictor slid off the tree limb, which was nailed to the wall. He looked exactly like the snake from her dreams, only half the size. His eyes stared into hers, tongue flickering, as he inched closer, offering his scaly hide.  
  
Rinsa sighed, smiling, and tickled his soft spot, at the base of his skull. She picked him up and wrapped him around her shoulder, twirled him around lightly, then but him back on his branch.  
  
Bored out of her mind, she walked over to the mini kiln, picking up a few bottles of glaze on the way. She lifted the little figure from the chamber, gently setting it on an empty, glaze-spattered spot on her desk. Flipping through the many paintbrushes in a glass, she selected one with /some/ dexterity left to it. Rinsa unscrewed the jar of black glaze, dipping the paintbrush in. Hunching down, she began to paint.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
Yeah. Shitty ending. Do I give a damn? No. My fanfic, and I suck at endings, so it's your problem now. Deal with it.  
  
Nah, I'm just kidding. Anyway, YOU MUST REVIEW!!!!! REVIEW NOOOOOOW!!!! Review now or I will explode!! I do that, sometimes... *explodes* Gaaaaaaaaah!! Ouch, ouch!! Painful-ity-ness!! See?!! I told you so!! Now, review!! Or I'll explode again!! And /this/ time you'll be spattered with chunks of... me-ness!! 


	4. Completely Pointless and Majorly Shitty ...

Yes!! I have finally started this chapter in which Nny will (hopefully) appear and share another kiss with Rinsa!! (Can you tell I'm a hopeless romantic with a love interest in Nny? If not, then please exit to your right. You upper right. No, your /other/ upper ri-*sighs* just click on the "x" in the corner. There ya go. /Aaaaaaaaaaaa/nyways....) *ahem...* As you may or may not have noticed by now, the original characters (the ones from the comic book) may or may not seem a little OOC (I'm /hoping/ "OOC" means "Out Of Character". I kind of guessed on the definition. If it means something else, please tell me! I didn't even realize what "AN" stood for until two days ago!!). Well, too bad. I'm not Jhonen (who, may I remind you, owns everything in this and every other story I write except the plot and my fan characters), obviously, and cannot even attempt to replicate his work. Therefore, the characters in my fanfic(s) are /based/ on his characters, with a little twist of Rinsa-ness (me "Rinsa", not my character "Rinsa", who is actually me, only three years older and Devi's sister). Onward, march!!  
  
AN: Gods. I FINALLY found the disk this was on. Just thought I'd warn you, but this chapter is completely pointless, and plus, it sucks ass monkies. I'm in a total writing slump. I swear on my life, I will not post another chapter unless I get some ideas, because I. Am. Stuck. Writer's block has me in its throes, and so on, and so forth. Now, PLEEZ, suggest something, because I'm just going to keep on posting the chapters I have written of all my other fics until I get some ideas for this one.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
At 6:35 in the afternoon Rinsa trudged into the kitchen portion of the apartment.  
  
"Good evening, Rinkie!! Got anything planned for what remains of today?" Devi said, unusually cheery as Rinsa poured herself a bowl of cereal.  
  
Rinsa grunted.  
  
Devi slid sideways out of the room, careful not to make any sudden movements and draw attention to herself. Rinsa smiled, still squinting, and starting slowly chewing her shredded wheat.  
  
She left the half-empty bowl of cereal on the counter and headed for the shower.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
About ten minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, clothed in a black tank reading Z?, a black and white-striped shrug, one of her countless pairs of black jeans ripped off below the knee, and yet another pair of black and white-striped socks. Several small blades were tucked into the pockets of her jeans, and both spring-loads were in place. She rubbed the last of the gel into her hair and fastened her earrings. A short while later she was out the door, this time minus any run-ins with Tenna.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
At the library, Rinsa flipped through the musty books sitting on the shelves. She found one she liked, and, pulling it out, went to sit in the comfortable beanbag in the children's corner, making sure there were no adults to notice her.  
  
A few pages into /A History of Swords/, Rinsa became suddenly bored and decided to leave. She replaced the book approximately where she had found it and left the library.  
  
Rinsa closed her eyes, spun around with one finger pointing straight ahead, and, once stopped, opened her eyes and began walking in the direction she pointed to.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
About twenty minutes later she wandered past the newly-built Cafe Le Prick and strolled inside. Rinsa ordered a blackberry tea to go and stepped outside, sipping carefully from the hot styrofoam.  
  
She was in a decidedly good mood today. Humming Ode To Joy, she finished the tea and crumpled the cup, dropping it in a trash can.  
  
She was thinking up reasonable ways to ask Nny out later that night and barely noticed when she bumped into a little boy. Looking down at the scared child, she frowned.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked kindly, squatting down to his level.  
  
"There's a scary man chasing me!! He's even scarier than the Scary Neighbour Man!!" the little boy squeaked, looking over his shoulder.  
  
Rinsa's eyes narrowed as she noticed a rather chunky man (AN: I really don't feel like waiting till the end of the chapter, so..... This is indeed the man who, once again, tries to rape poor little Squeegee in JtHM #3 or 4, I'm not sure which. Also, I seem to remember him being kind of chunky, but, seeing as I actually own only #1 and have no way of confirming his chunky-or-not-chunkiness as I write this, chunky he shall be. And if, in reality, he isn't, then just ignore the adjectives relating to his build) watching them from behind a corner. She pulled a compact mirror out of a pocket and angled it so the little boy could see the man. "Is that the scary man chasing you?" she asked, her voice turning to a growl.  
  
The young boy nodded frantically, then hid his face in his hands. Rinsa snapped the mirror shut and stood up straight. Slipping the mirror in her pocket, she picked the little boy up. "Come on," she said. "I'm going to teach the scary man a lesson, and you can watch."  
  
As she made her way towards the dumpy man, he noticed her and tried, in vain, to hide himself behind a newspaper he whipped out of a nearby trash can.  
  
Rinsa smiled sardonically, and triggered her right spring-load, shifting the little boy, who was whimpering, to her left hip.  
  
The man realized his guise was not working and began walking very quickly into an alley, eyes wide at the sight of the malicious teenager heading his way.  
  
She cornered him, setting the little boy on the top of a dumpster, and revealed her blade to him. He was clearly frightened, not having expected this when he started trailing the child.  
  
"There's something wrong with people who follow little children they don't know," Rinsa growled, advancing slightly. "Oh, and I forgot to mention, I /hate/ pedophiles."  
  
Five minutes later she scooped the boy up and left the alley, the child- stalker laying unconscious on the filthy ground, bleeding from several shallow, but painful, wounds. (AN: for everyone who has thought at some point that Rinsa will end up being another Johnny, you are /so/ wrong. She teaches people lessons by hurting them and then knocking them unconscious, but refuses to kill anything. Oh, and the whole bringing the pedophile thingie into my ficcie? I was really bored and felt like bringing cute lil' Squee into the story, so pbbbbbt!! *blows raspberry*))  
  
Depositing the small child on a public mailbox, Rinsa wiped her blade on a passing soccer mom(AN: grrr... Death to soccer moms... No offense if you're a soccer mom, but I loathe you with every fiber of my being. I despise you almost as much as I detest preps. Anyway, back to the ficcie...)'s coat, who failed to notice the blotch of red on her sparkling clean white cardigan. She turned back to the little boy and smiled, sheathing the dagger. "What's your name" she asked, hoping he wouldn't be too paralyzed by watching her slice up a sicko.  
  
He was trembling, but he answered her just the same. "My name's Todd, but the Scary Neighbour Man calls me Squee," he quivered, looking up at her with eyes too blue to be true. "You're nice; you didn't kill the scary man. Will you be my friend?" (AN: Squee is most definitely OOC here, as I doubt he would ask a 17-year-old who just sliced a man up, even for his protection, to be his friend. Well, I don't give a shit. And try not to worry about all the Authour's Notes...)  
  
Rinsa broke loose in a genuine smile. "Sure thing, Squee, my man," she said, ruffling his mop of black hair. "I'm Rinsa. Now, where are your par-"  
  
She was interrupted by a black shape barreling past, snatching Squee on its way. Rinsa's eyes snapped wide open, then she dashed after the figure. It led her on for quite a while, then ducked into an alley. Rinsa snatched a twin daggers from her pockets, thinking it was another pervert. Blades at the ready, she leaped into the alley, and-  
  
CLANG!!  
  
A chunk of pipe attached to a set of arms slammed against the wall where her head had been a few fractions of a second before. She whipped around, ready to take on the pipe wielder.  
  
"Rinsa?!!" Nny stood there, jaw dropped slightly, staring at her in disbelief.  
  
Rinsa pocketed the blades, then let out a breath of air. "Phew. God, Nny, I thought you were another creep the way you ran off with poor Squee here."  
  
He blinked. "Same here. Hey, how do you know Squeegee?" he asked, setting down the pipe.  
  
"Rescued him from a pedophile. You?" Rinsa replied, one hand on hip.  
  
"I live next door to him."  
  
At this Rinsa burst out laughing. Nny looked startled. "What's so funny?" he queried, brow furrowed in confusion.  
  
She calmed herself, then began to speak. "Squee was just telling me how the man that had been following him, i.e. the pedophile, was even scarier than the Scary Neighbour Man, who he was obviously terrified of. And there I was, thinking to myself, 'Who the hell is the Scary Neighbour Man?' and the whole time he was talking about you, wasn't he?" she grinned, arms crossed.  
  
Nny looked a little sheepish. "Perhaps..." he murmured.  
  
Rinsa walked over to where Squee, paralyzed at the sight of the Scary Neighbour Man, sat stock still on top of a trash can, and picked him up, balancing him on one hip. "Come on, Nny. If you live next door to him then you know where his house is. Lead the way, and I /just might/ forget to ask you why the hell the poor kid's so scared of you," she stated, shooing Nny on ahead of her.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
They arrived at 779 on a street without a street sign a while later. After ringing the doorbell a few fruitless times, Nny led her around back and gave her a boost up through Squee's bedroom window, which was broken. She set the little boy, who was snoring gently, down on his bed and tucked him in, setting a strange-looking teddy bear in his arms, which he immediately took hold of. She took a step back and smiled at the sleeping figure. Then, she jumped out of the window, landing catlike on the ground in front of Johnny. "Come on," she said, smiling playfully. "You can walk me to the movie theater. I was just about to go see /Revenge of the Deceased Living (AN: yet another Authour's Note!! Whee!! Anyway, this is just to point out a little play on words. Instead of /Revenge of the Living Dead/, like the rather-well-known horror movie, this is /Revenge of the Deceased Living/. Funny, no?)/."  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
Dunh dunh DUUUUUNH!! *someone knocks at Rinsa's door*  
  
Who is it?  
  
Voice: Do you really need to ask?  
  
Rinsa: Gasp!! Is it- no, it can't be!! It just /can't/!! Oh, the horror!! Oh, the inhuma- oh, let's skip the shit. *opens the door and story rinsa walks in*  
  
Story Rinsa: Nice job on the story so far!!  
  
Real Rinsa: Thanks!!  
  
Story Rinsa: Oh, yeah!! I just came here to ask you one thing.  
  
Real Rinsa: Yeah?  
  
Story Rinsa: WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO GET TO THE PART WHERE NNY AND ME KISS AGAIN?!! FOR YOUR SAKE, IT HAD BETTER BE SOON!!  
  
Real Rinsa: Eeeeeeeeee!! *runs behind the couch, still screaming* Don't worry, It'll be in the next chapter!! I promise!! And if it isn't, then... *thinks hard* ...then you can carve your name into my flesh!! With painkillers, of course!! Okay?  
  
Story Rinsa: GODSDAMN RIGHT, IT'LL BE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!! BECAUSE IF IT ISN'T, I /WILL/ CARVE MY NAME IN YOUR PAINKILLER/LESS/ FLESH!! AND WILL CONTINUE DOING SO UNTILL YOU SCREAM FOR MERCY!! I MEAN, THAT'S THE ONLY REASON I AGREED TO BE IN THIS STORY, REMEMBER?!! NOW, YOU START TYPING THAT NEXT CHAPTER!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Real Rinsa: Okay!! Okay!! *whimpers* Just don't hurt me!! Now will you leave?!!  
  
Story Rinsa: LEAVE?!! I'LL SHOW YOU LEAVE, YOU LITT- oh, okay. Later, real self. *walks out the door, waving cheerfully*  
  
Real Rinsa: *faints* *notices audience* *unfaints* You can leave now, all. *faints again* 


End file.
